I have quite a few parkas hanging up at home but chose to highlight these two because of the fact that they’re lined, the Holubar with wool and the Penfield with what seems to be cotton. Both are made from a 60/40 cotton-nylon fabric pioneered by Sierra Designs in their parkas- also in my parka stash but I think you’ve probably seen enough pictures of those if you frequent blogs like this one.

The Sew-It Yourself Kit Holubar came from Countyline General and seemed to have never really been worn when I received it. Funny that someone would go to the trouble of constructing the parka without really wearing the thing since they did a great job sewing it. Since the lining is the nice scratchy kinda wool it is extremely warm and zips up all the way past my nose for really frigid days.. haven’t been a ton of those lately though.

The Penfield was bought new, the cut of it is much more modern than the Holubar of course and a lot easier to wear without looking like I’m going to climb a mountain. I’m a big fan of the oversized lined flap that covers the backside of the zipper when closed all the way to the top- the Holubar lacks such a flap and the one on my old Sierra Designs is so small that it hardly does its job. I thought it odd Penfield chose to line the underside of the pocket flaps and not the slanted handwarming pockets which of course would be a lot warmer if lined- fashion prevails over function here. Additionally, the stitching on the velcro cuffs have already started to come undone after only months of wear which is a bummer. All in all it’s a good jacket but if you’re good at hunting vintage then your money might be better off spent there.

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6 responses to “Parka”

I just ordered an Outlier Storm King parla. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, and couldn’t pass up a nearly 50% discount on Huckberry. I have a killer seamstress and I’m hoping we can device a way to attach a fleece or insulated jacket as a liner.

That’s quite a deal! I’d suggest against permanently attaching a liner because you might not want to have it attached on “cool but not quite cold” days in spring and fall which is ideal weather for an unlined 60/40 parka. Layer, layer, layer.

I was really upset to find out after the fact that the Penfield stuff I purchased about 2 years ago was made in China. I didn’t even think to look at country of origin due to how they brand themselves as an American company. When I found out they weren’t made here, I got so pissed I stopped wearing them. Nice jackets, but I felt deceived.

I should have mentioned that even though it was purchased new it was actually a present, it’s unlikely I would have bought it myself unless it was a crazy end of the season sale. I do find it odd that their website doesn’t even state that their products are “imported” which is a nice way for companies to say they’re made cheaply overseas. I can sympathise with your frustration and feeling deceived, too many brands boast the all-American branding few back it up with quality.